The Highlighter is a white gold with a shimmer-sheen finish. Tarte Angelic is a smidgen yellower but not by much. Illamasqua Aurora is a touch lighter and in a cream form. NARS Albatross has a similar sheen, but it has a whiter base.

The Lipgloss included in the palette is pretty much clear and there’s almost no visible shimmer when applied. It made me do a double-take, because at least in the pan, you could see shimmer. Being next to two face powders is unfortunate, as it’s easy to kick up excess powder with larger blush/bronzer brushes (with eyeshadow brushes, it’s just as possible, but I think you have more control). So, you can use any clear gloss as a substitute, really!

The Bronzer is a medium-dark tan with strong orange-brown undertones and a sprinkling of gold sparkle. The texture was a little powdery but dry–I had a tough time getting this shade to deposit color, let alone blending it out. Tarte Park Ave. Princess is similar but has more golden shimmer/sheen. Urban Decay Toasted is similar but has no shimmer/sparkle.

OVERALL, this palette is best purchased if you like the eyeshadows. The lipgloss and bronzer are disappointing, while the highlighter is better it was a touch dry in texture. Too Faced’s Candlelight on its own is much better. The eyeshadows are fairly pigmented, though the last two shades were on the weaker side, and the really sparkly white was a little sheer, too. None were flops, though, and the other five shades were rather nice to work with. If you cut the palette in half, you’ll see two very distinct quads of colors–one set is warm, the other is cooler-toned. It’s like, not love.

When I tested out the eyeshadows, they lasted eight hours with very minor fading when used without a primer; with a primer, they lasted a full eight hours. I didn’t have any fall out, despite using the sparkly shades, which was a pleasant surprise. The highlighter wore for seven hours, while the bronzer was faded after six hours. The price point is nice, though, because it’s not to pricey and makes for an easy gift to give without breaking the bank, but it still feels like a nice gift to give (more to it than just a lipstick!). I just wish the whole palette performed better.

Karl for Shu – The Smoky Velvet Palette

1 is described as a “glitter black” and comes in the “silky smooth eyeshadow formula.” It’s a soft black with very small silver glitter particles. It had a creamy but a very thin consistency–it was soft and just barely creamy, enough that it felt more like a really thin, cream eyeshadow than a powder one. It had good color payoff despite the thin consistency. MAC Tall, Dark, & Handsome is a bit softer, less glittery. Buxom Black Lab is similar but has multi-colored sparkle.

2 is described as a “deep khaki” and comes in the “silky smooth eyeshadow formula.” It’s an olive green with a soft, olive shimmer. This shade was creamier than #1, but it had a similar lightweight and thin feel. L’Oreal Golden Emerald is darker, greener. Lancome Designer is darker. MAC Sumptuous Olive is warmer, browner.

3 is described as an “elegant light silver” and is part of the “pressed eyeshadow formula.” It’s a sparkling silver-tinged white with a glittery, sparkly content that gives it a very sheer appearance. Cinderella Midnight Hour is less metallic. MAC She’s Got Class is similar both in color and texture. MAC Forgery is also quite similar.

5 is described as an “glitter beige” and is part of the “pressed eyeshadow formula.” It’s a pale, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. The color payoff was so-so. Buxom Poodle is less yellow. Giorgio Armani #18 is similar, less metallic. Bobbi Brown Gold is yellower. MAC Treasure Hunt is similar but has more of a sheen.

6 is described as an “dusty rose” and is part of the “glow-on blush formula.” It’s a brightened, dark pink with gold shimmer. It packs plenty of pigment, so it can be used on all skin tones. The texture is incredibly finely-milled, so it is extremely blendable on the skin, so even pale complexions will be able to adjust the intensity to their liking. MAC Supernova is a bit redder. Tom Ford Wicked is pinker, more blue-based. Worth noting is it’s a pain to apply as a blush, since the pan is the size of an eyeshadow.

The palette is remarkable for its texture; the two cream eyeshadows had a beautiful, velvety-creamy consistency that felt like butter and silk came together, while the blush was finely-milled and easy to blend, despite its rich color. The really sparkly white eyeshadow, though, while soft, did not apply as smoothly. I found it was best applied as a layering shade over another eyeshadow. I experienced some fall out when applied alone, and significantly less (but still a little) fall out when patted over one of the cream eyeshadows. Shu can do incredible glitter eyeshadows sometimes, but the white in this palette wasn’t quite it. The gold shade was way, way less sparkly (and better bound together), so I didn’t have problems with that shade. The cream eyeshadows wore well for six hours, but after eight full hours, they was some faint creasing. The blush lasted eight hours without fading.

Another Disappointment from the NARS & Andy Warhol Collection

NARS Debbie Harry Eye & Cheek Palette ($65.00 for 0.42 oz.) consists of one blush, one highlighter, and four eyeshadows, tucked into a matte black palette with a full-size mirror on the interior. Each shade sits in its own pan and well.

Shimmering Pink Champagne is a soft, rosy plum with silver sparkle. The sparkle is very, very loose and doesn’t bind at all to the underlying color, so it either doesn’t translate to the cheek or disappears throughout the day. It had a very dry, stiff texture, though the color payoff was so-so. It wore for seven hours when I tested it. NARS Oasis is a bit more muted, less pink. theBalm Cabana Boy has a soft sheen. MAC Plum Foolery is less pink, more frosted.

Brilliant Cream is a shimmery, pale beige. It had good color payoff, and it wasn’t dry–a little powdery–but not dry, at least. It was also blendable on, and it lasted for six and a half hours. NARS Albatross has a golden sheen. theBalm Promiscuous Pearl is more beige. MAC Snowglobe is similar.

Sparkling Turquoise is an aqua-green with a satiny sheen. It had so-so color payoff, but this one was such a pain in the behind to use. It was very soft, powdery, and prone to pulling a disappearing act if you made any attempt to blend it. Sugarpill Mochi is very similar in color.

Starry Black is a matte black (with silver sparkle, but it never shows up and doesn’t even make it onto the swatch!). This shade had the best payoff of the four eyeshadows! It was stiff and a bit dry, but it wasn’t powdery. Like the white eyeshadow, matte black eyeshadows are numerous (it’s a classic, basic shade, and everyone should have at least one!). When you put out core/basic shades, you have to do them well, because there are too many options available to settle for less.

Technically, all four eyeshadows had silver sparkles in them, but they come loose as soon as the brush hits the pan–they just flake away or get caught in the bristles of your brush. It was a disappointing palette and not worth the $65 I spent on it. I had hoped that this palette would be better than the other Warhol palettes, because each product was in a separate well, but it was not meant to be. It’s hard for me to comprehend how the textures and payoff throughout the collection were so far off the norm for NARS.

Dry and powdery is one of the more frustrating textures to work, because you don’t even get the blendability and payoff that really soft eyeshadows (which can be powdery) have to their advantage. The highlighter was the best product in the palette, but there was a general theme: poor color payoff, dry/stiff/powdery textures, and fading throughout the day. Despite layering the eyeshadows over NARS’ own eyeshadow primer, these were looking very faded after eight hours (and without a primer, they had disappeared after six and a half).

P.S. — There is no step-by-step for this palette, because I tested and took photos prior to starting those!

Not Everything is How It Appears

Make Up For Ever #302 Holodiam Powder ($25.00 for 0.035 oz.) is described as “plum with pink, purple, and turquoise highlights.” Alone, it has a strong reddish copper base with flecks of pink and teal sparkle. When I layered it over a black eyeliner, it appeared as a blue-teal. Ultimately, how it looks and what color comes out depends on the base, so it will take on different characteristics over different colored bases as well as with different viewing angles.

Because of its duo- (or triple) chrome finish, it’s a very versatile product. It’s described as an “extremely fine loose powder with a pearlescent finish.” Make Up For Ever recommends it for use on eyes and cheeks and used dry for a softer effect and wet for something more intense. They do advise using some sort of setting/fixing spray or sealer. It is a very fine micro-glitter; it feels larger than shimmer or powder (more texture than the Star Powders but finer than traditional glitter).

Get Carried Away with This Kit

Tarte Carried Away Collection ($54.00) is a Sephora-exclusive set that contains one blush (0.05 oz.), one finishing powder (0.07 oz.), one mascara (0.16 oz.), one face brush, eight lipglosses (0.059), and twenty-four eyeshadows (0.06 oz.). It is all housed in a soft case. The eyeshadow palette is cleverly tucked away inside of the case, behind the mirror. It’s currently out of stock online, though it can be found in-stores.

Face Products

Adventurous (Amazonian Clay Blush) is a warm-toned, muted, reddish-brown with a rosy iridescent sheen. It had good color payoff, and it was soft and smooth applied. This shade wore for seven hours on me. NARS G-Spot is redder. MAC Stratus is more intense and a bit redder. Tom Ford Savage is a touch darker. MAC Buddy Up is similar.

Finishing Powder is very finely-milled and soft. I did not test the wear of this item.

Face Brush is fairly soft, dense, and blended out the Adventurous blush well.

Lights, Camera, Lashes! (Mascara) didn’t flake or smudge on me when I’ve worn it in the recent past.

Lipglosses

The eight glosses included in the set were sheer to semi-sheer, thin, and wore for an average of two hours. Several of the shades looked very alike when applied.

Volcanic Ash is a dark, smoldering brown with a cool undertone and dark champagne shimmer. It had good pigmentation, and the texture was a little dry. bareMinerals VIP is incredibly similar. Too Faced Licorice is more matte. Cinderella Cinders is also similar.

Pearl River is a pale pink-tinged white with a frosted, metallic finish. It is slightly sheer but goes on smoothly. Tarte Macaroon is more frosted in finish. MAC Winterscape is a bit cooler-toned.

Seychelles Sand is a medium taupe with a strong gray tone. It has a matte finish, and it was actually a little less pigmented than anticipated though not powdery. Tarte Sailboat is lighter. Bobbi Brown Slate is darker. Bobbi Brown China is warmer.

Acai Jungle is a medium-dark red-toned bronze brown with a softened metallic sheen. It had great color payoff and was soft and smooth to use. MAC Ever Elegant is more orange. Cinderella Chateau is slightly subdued in comparison.

Coral Reef is a pink-ish orange with gold shimmer-sheen. It’s one of the more interesting shades in the set–there’s something about it that says “tamed fire” to me. It had good color payoff and was soft but not powdery. MAC Hot Paprika was the closest I could think of, but it is a bit redder.

Olive Grove is a olive brown with golden shimmer-sheen. It had good pigmentation but was a touch powdery. Tarte Match Point is lighter, more golden. Inglot #433 is greener.

Sin City is a dark, sooty gray with brown undertones and a little bronze sparkle. This was the worst performing shade in the palette–super sheer and powdery. It looks a lot darker swatched than it did in the pan. Tarte Stiletto is lighter.

Overall, it’s a set that’s certainly worth its price tag, even despite some imperfections. I think if you already own a few Tarte eyeshadow palettes, you’re going to run into enough overlap for it to be frustrating. (The same is true for several brands that launch mega-sized palettes and sets like this one.) I like the inclusion of the face products, because it helps make the whole kit a great starter selection to give to someone. I think the lipglosses are a little drying and similar to each other, so they’re not my favorite. The formula was thin and didn’t wear as long as the average gloss. The eyeshadows come in “quads” in a way, which instantly creates several distinct looks to try. Some of the eyeshadows are great, some are good, and a few are so-so.

Glitter and Spice and Everything Nice

Make Up For Ever #303 Holodiam Powder ($25.00 for 0.035 oz.) is described as “white with blue, green, and gold highlights.” When applied to the skin alone, it looks like a mix of lavender, violet, green-gold, and silver. Patted over black eyeliner, it looked blue and gold at one angle, then green and teal at the next. It’s somewhat like Illamasqua Beguile. I suspect MAC Reflects Transparent Teal would also be a bit similar.

Make Up For Ever’s Holodiam Powder is a new and limited edition loose powder for the holidays that’s described as an “extremely fine loose powder with a pearlescent finish.” It can be used on eyes and cheeks, wet or dry, as desired. On its own, it doesn’t stay put well, so my best advice is to use an adhesive base, cream eyeshadow, fixing spray/seal, or patted onto some makeup base before it’s had time to dry (foundation, eyeliner, etc.). It’s fine micro-glitter, and I think it works well on the eyes–so thank goodness it’s safe for the eyes–but on the cheeks, it felt a little sand-like. You might opt for one of the brand’s Star Powders for something finer.